New Policy Will Restrict Carry-Ons on Middle Eastern Flights to US

The U.S. has imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on airlines entering the country from 10 airports in Muslim-majority countries, according to NBC News.

A senior official in the Trump administration said the airlines had 96 hours from 3 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday to implement the new rules.

The Department of Homeland Security has banned tablets, cameras, laptops, e-readers, portable DVD players, video games, portable printers and scanners from passenger cabins on incoming flights from the affected airports. They must be placed in checked baggage under the new policy.

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Cellphones were not included on the ban, nor were medical devices.

The official explained the ban resulted from intelligence which indicated that terrorist organizations “continue to target aviation, to include smuggling explosives in electronic devices,” according to NBC.

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CNBC reported that during a conference call on Monday, officials said the restrictions resulted from reports of militant groups wanting to smuggle explosives in electronic devices. A DHS spokeswoman said specific nations were not targeted.

“We relied upon evaluated intelligence to determine which airports were affected,” she told CNBC.

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DHS also said the government was “concerned about terrorists’ ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation, including transportation hubs over the past two years.”

The policy affects nine airlines flying from 10 overseas airports, which amounts to about 50 direct daily flights into the United States. Its outlines slipped out on Monday, according to NBC, when Royal Jordanian Airlines “jumped the gun” and sent an advisory to passengers prematurely.

The airlines included in the restrictions are EgyptAir, Emirates Air, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudi Arabia Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

The airports effected by the ban are in Amman, Jordan; Casablanca, Morocco; Cairo, Egypt; Doha, Qatar; Istanbul, Turkey; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

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It was not immediately clear how long the ban would last, but no U.S. airlines were affected by the ban and domestic flights were also not affected.